The present invention relates to an orthodontic bite jumping device. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with an orthodontic device which is attached to orthodontic brace wires connected to teeth of the upper and lower jaw for treatment of Class II malocclusions or overbite.
Previous devices for treatment of overbite have included those devices described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,618,214 to Armstrong; and 3,798,773 to Northcutt. The Northcutt patent discloses a compression device for use in the realignment of the teeth, including a pair of spring and telescopic tube arrangements which is one embodiment may be attached directly to the brace wire on the upper and lower jaw. The Armstrong patent employs a tension device and includes the use of coiled-wire spring appliances in a tubular casing in which a pair of eyelets are secured at opposite ends of the spring assembly for engagement with hooks on orthodontic arch wires. Armstrong's plural concentric tension springs are intended to provide lateral stability to the coil spring when it is stretched during operation upon opening of the jaws of the patient.
Other prior art devices for use in treatment of overbite have included the Herbst appliance which provides a telescope mechanism to be mounted on either side of the jaw, attached to orthodontic bands which fit around teeth in the upper and lower jaw, for the purpose of maintaining the mandible continuously in an anterior jumped position during all mandibular functions. The previous history of the Herbst appliance has shown that this device is subject to breakage, particularly at the point at which the device is attached to a band which fits around the teeth of the upper or lower jaw. A description of the Herbst appliance is found, for example, in Am. J. Orthod., 82:104-113, 1982, which is incorporated herein by reference.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved orthodontic bite jumping device which may be attached directly to the orthodontic brace wires in the upper and lower jaw for treatment of overbite.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide an orthodontic device which is of durable construction so as not to break off in the mouth of the patient during everyday use.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an orthodontic device which is constructed so as to be comfortable in the mouth of the patient and to eliminate various discomforting features of prior art devices.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an orthodontic device which remains installed and activated throughout each 24 hour day in treating overbite, while not interfering with chewing or other normal functions of the mouth.
It is another object of the invention to provide continual application of previously determined corrective forces for the purpose of treating a Class II molocclusion.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an orthodontic bite jumping device which is of relatively simple construction, thus facilitating installation of the device in the mouth of the patient.
The foregoing as well as additional objects are attained by the orthodontic bite jumping device of the present invention. The term "bite jumping" as used herein is intended to refer to a change in sagittal intermaxillary dental arch relationships by an anterior displacement of the mandible.
The present device includes a telescope mechanism having an outer tube portion and an inner plunger portion, with the telescope outer tube portion being attached to the upper jaw and the inner plunger portion attached to the lower jaw. Similar telescope mechanisms are positioned on either side of the jaw. Each telescope mechanism is attached to orthodontic brace wires located on the upper and lower teeth by the use of a trunnion or pin having a radial slot therein and an axial opening in the outer end portion. The axial opening, which is in communication with the slot, is for the purpose of receiving a screw member which maintains the device in position on the brace wire.
In the attachment of the telescope tube to the upper jaw, the trunnion is passed through a ring member secured to the outer end of the telescope tube and the trunnion is then positioned so that the upper brace wire is received in the radial slot. A screw member is then passed in friction fitting engagement into the axial opening of the trunnion so as to engage the wire, which is generally of a square cross-section, and thus maintain the wire securely in the slot, at the same time clamping the trunnion to the wire. The trunnion for the lower jaw is passed through a ring located at the outer end of the telescope plunger and is then secured to the brace wire of the lower jaw in a similar manner. The central opening in one or both of the ring members is larger than the diameter of the trunnion passing therethrough so as to provide looseness or "play" during operation of the device.